CHAPTER FIFTY THREE
February 3
11:45 a.m. Eastern Standard Time
McLean, Virginia
“How’s Susan?” Gunner said.
It was bitterly cold outside. They were again at the diner just across from the famous one-arch McDonald’s. Ten minutes from SRT headquarters, ten minutes from Gunner’s house, it was starting to become their place to meet. They sat in a booth along the big bay window, the buzz of conversation and the tinkle of silverware on plates all around them.
This time, Luke let Gunner face the TV set. Luke didn’t want to know anything about the state of the world. Instead, he looked out the window at the frozen, icy landscape. There were about six inches of new snow on the ground, with more coming down. The plows hadn’t come by in a long while, and nothing much was moving. Now and then,
